Introduction
Crighton thinks outside the square with Mechanical Support Systems
Mechanical Support Systems are specialists in the design and installation of electrical cable containment. Typically the company designs and installs engineered supports systems up to 30% lower than its competitors, because the company uses only the best of specialists. As a result of a thorough understanding of MSS products, quality installation and service, projects are completed in shorter time spans than their competitors.
The Challenge
Mechanical Support Systems required a cost effective cable tray range to be manufactured, and initially looked to China for supply.
Director John Almond says time is a huge factor in their business, as is the quantity of stock they are required to keep on the shelf.
“Availability of stock can sometimes be the difference between winning and losing a project.”
The Solution
Crighton were able to manufacture one of Mechanical Support Systems core product ranges for prices comparative to what those in India and China were coming in at.
“This is unusual,” says John. “They did it by thinking a bit outside the square – they could also see the value in a product, and where they could potentially bring themselves into a new market,” says John.
The Process
Working with Crighton gives Mechanical Support Systems far superior control, in quality and delivery.
“Tenders happen on a very tight timeframe. For example, in construction situations – like the Victoria Street Tunnel – the call for our product is left to the last minute and we need to be able to meet that demand; to put huge quantities together in a very short time frame. Without Crighton’s support, we wouldn’t be able to do that,” says John.
A bonus is not having to deal with language differences, time zone differences and consistency of quality.
Final Outcome
As a result of Crighton’s willingness to think outside the square, MSS can now deal with spikes in demand for any one of the products in their range.
“We do a lot of specially fabricated jobbing type work, and Crighton’s design and application capabilities suit that particular problem.
“They have the same mindset as we do; there’s nothing they will shy away from, and they have the tooling to be able to do it. If we have a problem we sit around the table and we always end up with a result. Most other engineering works would put that in the too hard basket.
“We take pride in offering solutions to our customers, and we want our suppliers to help us offer those solutions,” says John.